Patrick Onyango Sumba

Onyango attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, brought via a program organized by then-Governor Warren Knowles. He was the first Kenyan to compete for the Wisconsin track team, recruited by athlete Mark Winzenried who was visiting Kenya.^[2] He was an All-American jumper for the Wisconsin Badgers track and field team, finishing 5th in the triple jump at the 1971 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.^[3] When he began jumping at Wisconsin, the Camp Randall Memorial Park jumping pit had to be extended by four feet to accommodate his marks. He was a talented sprinter as well, running on Wisconsin's mile relay team.^[4]

Onyango won multiple consecutive Big Ten Conference indoor and outdoor championships in the triple jump, leading to comparisons with Jesse Owens.^[5][6] He was also inducted into the Wisconsin Badgers Hall of Fame in 1971.^[7]

Onyango is from Nairobi, Kenya.^[8] Originally named Onyango meaning "morning sun", he was given the name Patrick by Irish missionaries, who raised him as a child and baptized him. He planned to major in diplomatic international relations.^[4]